A Hole in Cruz's Game (Anyone Else Notice?)

If Cruz had good boxing his style would be completely different.
 
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the problem is do you have an idea when he's going to throw that kind of punch? easy to say that it can be exploited but the main fact he's so dominant is he's very hard to read. i'm pretty sure TAM has studied him thoroughly but as usual they get fucked in the ass every time
 
Reign009 said:
I've seen him do this a lot in fights. He throws these really wide arm punches like he's throwing a baseball or something. Often times multiple (lefts and rights, one after another). He's very vulnerable whenever he does this but he's gotten away with it for so long.

We saw the same sort of situation in McGregor/Aldo in which Aldo swung wide against McGregor and McGregor caught him with a straight left. Of course McGregor is an above average boxer in MMA so instead of backing out or simply trying to block, McGregor countered him.

Cruz is a very good fighter but every time I see this I just almost cringe. He's good in a lot of areas but this is a hole in his game that could be exposed by a good counter puncher.

Do you think this could bite him in the ass? If I was Garbrandt, I'd sure be paying attention to this tendency.
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It's all setting up a counter takedown, he throws wide punch, they react with a kick most of the time, that he will grab, and take them down
 
We need more Dominic Cruz threads, they seem to attack a lot of serious fight analysts. And by analyst, I do not mean what you think I do.

Or do I?
 
thatKid said:
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He does the crouch a lot but he uses it to switch stances and he can counter off the crouch. He most likely would have thrown the left/ uppercut had Faber tried to charge in.
 
Urijah dropped him twice in there 2nd fight and Urijah has mediocre standup
 
aerius said:
KORMAN is correct, what Cruz does makes it really hard to hit his head clean, yet at the same time everyone goes for his head anyway and ends up missing badly. The better way to do it is to block Cruz's punches into a clinch, then throw back at him when he can't move because he's being held. This does open up the wrestling & takedowns for Cruz, but he's not a strong top position guy like GSP or Khabib so it's not terrible. Option 2 is quit head hunting and bang the body. Block or eat Cruz's punches, he's not going to knock you out unless you're Mizugaki, and just keep punching & kicking him in the body till he starts doing something about it, then chop his legs and go back to the body. Once Cruz is hurt to the body & legs, he can't dance around the ring and move his head as much, and that's when you start going for his head.
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Thats pretty good advice but really the best counter for Cruz isn't trying to hit his head at all. It's quite similar to what Longo said to Weidman between rounds of the first Silva fight. "Punch a fucking hole in his chest".

If you swing for Doms head it will be gone before the punch gets there, If you swing for his chest however you will likely find his head, you just have to be willing to stay in the pocket and anticipate which is easier said than done in most cases.

Another serious flaw in his game is the bending at the waist thing he always does, its great in Boxing but in MMA I'm shocked nobody has been able to catch him with a kick or knee yet when he does it. I have no idea how he has gotten away with that for so long and its something I'm pretty sure Aldo would have made him pay for if that fight had actually happened.
 
Biggest hole in his game is he can't finish. Other than that its heavy cardio load and wear and tear on his knees from his jerky movements.
 
boss429 said:
Thats pretty good advice but really the best counter for Cruz isn't trying to hit his head at all. It's quite similar to what Longo said to Weidman between rounds of the first Silva fight. "Punch a fucking hole in his chest".

If you swing for Doms head it will be gone before the punch gets there, If you swing for his chest however you will likely find his head, you just have to be willing to stay in the pocket and anticipate which is easier said than done in most cases.

Another serious flaw in his game is the bending at the waist thing he always does, its great in Boxing but in MMA I'm shocked nobody has been able to catch him with a kick or knee yet when he does it. I have no idea how he has gotten away with that for so long and its something I'm pretty sure Aldo would have made him pay for if that fight had actually happened.
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in the first round of Faber vs Cruz 3 Faber comes inches away from landing that knee you are talking about

The first round of that fight is actually really close.
 
Homeless Infant said:
If only Cody was smart or with anyone other than TAM. They still have no idea what to do against Dom.
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Tam has the only win over him, has the only finish in any of their fights and has the only split decisions since doms first fight.
 
Dbreiden83080 said:
Dillashaw at one point wound up and missed 10 straight strikes in that fight. Boy when Dom frustrates you.. He really does.
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Yeah, that is why it as remarkable that TK gained his composure and mounted a comeback. I know alot of people had him winning....this is why it was perplexing to throw Faber in there and then Cody. For gurus, that fight was sublime.
 
TheRuthlessOne said:
in the first round of Faber vs Cruz 3 Faber comes inches away from landing that knee you are talking about

The first round of that fight is actually really close.
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I would have to rewatch it but it doesn't surprise me to hear that Faber would have picked up on that. It really is shocking that he gets away with it so often.
 
thatKid said:
Not always though, when he gets tired he'll wing those same punches from straight on
I think that's part of the reason Bang was obsessed with TJ knocking Cruz out with a right headkick, and TJ caught him with it a couple times too - Cruz just has great awareness and a solid chin
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they believed cruz could be caught with the head kick because of the way he circles out especially after striking.started working towards the end of the fight to when fatigue kicked in
 
rockylion said:
He kinda ducks and hold before throwing which I think 'might' open him up to a head kick.
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I've been waiting for someone to do this for years, TJ came closest, but no one else. Guess its props to Cruz that no one has got there yet
 
KORMAN said:
I seriously cringe at some of Dom's strikes when he gets tired. And how do you even throw a punch with no leverage like the last one he did??? I mean, I know I have no room to talk, and he'd kick my ass, but just looks so retarded.
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I honestly like the way Cruz throws his strikes. I know they aren't the most technically proficient punches, but it suits his style. I always likened the way he'll throws those punches and the darting jab where he's already shifted away from center like sword fighting. I can so imagine him holding a sword in those scenarios.
 
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headkicktoleg said:
Dom has great footwork and amazing head movement. He is also good at keeping the fight at his striking range, which is almost always farther than his opponent since he's pretty tall for his division. His hunchback posture is actually really good for fighting as well. It helps you absorb strikes and not get off balance. He's probably been rocked pretty hard before, but because of these things he doesn't really show it.
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You'd be surprised though, if the least hit guy in MMA also happens to have a really good chin. I mean in the 3rd fight where he knocked Faber down for the first time, he sprinted full on into an up kick and he took it like it didn't affect him in the least. In fact so much so it really took the replay for me to realize he had been hit with an upkick at all.
 
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